YouTube Megastar KSI Unveils New Single And Tour, Announces Plans For Music Career

Following the premiere of his first feature film co-starring Caspar Lee titled Laid In America, the YouTube phenom KSI, whose real name is Olajide Olatunji, has revealed his next career move: music. Olatunji, who counts roughly 15 million subscribers on his seven-year-old channel chock full of FIFA gaming videos, vlogs, and more, tells the IBTimes that he now plans to pursue a recording career full-throttle.

To this end, Olatunji just released a new single featuring the rapper Waka Flocka Flame titled Jump Around (below) that’s a remixed version of the 90s House Of Pain classic. He’s also slated to kick off an eight-date European tour next Wednesday beginning in Paris and concluding on Nov. 8 in London.

“I guess it took a lot of years of slowly giving my audience a bit of what I really want to do, like the music and the acting,” the 23-year-old tells the IBTimes of the gradual career transition. And while his new single lives on his Vevo

page, Olatunji has previously released several music videos on his flagship YouTube channel to astronomic acclaim, including for songs like Lamborghini (57 million views), Keep Up (26 million views), and Friends With Benefits (20 million views).

Olatunji, who told the IBTimes that his idols are DMX and Ludacris, ultimately hopes to crack the American market. And while he wants to continue acting, there is one entertainment medium that he intends to avoid at all costs. “I don’t want to touch TV at all. For me I think TV is dead,” Olatunji said. “It’s like going backwards, why would I want to do that? I’ve already got an online presence, I don’t need a TV presence. There’s no point trying to cater to an older audience.”

Olatunji’s other offline ventures include a mobile game created alongside Endemol Shine titled KSI Unleashed, and a top-selling book titled I Am A Tool.